Dusting-machine for fruit-trees, &amp;c.



J'. H. WRIGHT.

DUSTING MACHiNE FOR `FRUIT TREES, 6m. APPLxcATIoN mui mA/. 22, 1916` Patented .lume 20, 1916.

I. H. WRIGHT. DUSTING MACHINE I-'GR FITUIT TREES, Gac.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, I9I6.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I www with dry gormieide or iungicide.

ACOB H, iNRIGI-IT, OF MEDLELQORT, YORK, ltSSIGNR T N'IIaGiB/A SPELLYER CCMPANY, 0F MIIDDLEPORT, NEVI DUSTNG--MAGHINE FR FRU 12T-TREES,

Specification of Letters laatent.

Patented June 23h), ltliiivt-i.

Application filed March 22, i916. Serial No. 875,822.

State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Dusting-h/lachine for Fruit- Trees, Sie., of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description..

This invention relates to a machine for dusting trees, vegetables and other crops The invention has for its general objects to improve the construction and operation of apparatus of this character so as to be reliable and eiiicieut in luse, comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and easilyrep-iidatedv for thev purpose of insuring the discharge of theA proper amount ot' dust material, whereby trees, vegetables and other crops may be uniformlydusted as the machine travels along` the rows, thus enabling much larger acreage to be. dusted by a singleinachine and a single operator in the course .of a day than has been possible with other machines heretofore in use.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a novel .means for insuring the feeding oi"- the dust of uniform ineness from the hopperfto the eduction pipe, there being used in combination. therewith a valve or shutter readily adjustable by the operator to regulate the amount oi dust passing a horizontal section 'on the line 3 LJ,

Fig. e isa vertical section on the line i Lie-4f, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an end View of the rotary brush; yFig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the brush; and Fig. 7 is a pian View of the valve or shutter adjusting f-:lericef i the present instance the apparatus coniprfes iu the form of a unit, a blower A, a hopper or body B, a dust chamber C, an eduction pipe l), and a drivingl motor (not shown), the apparatus being niounteifi on a suitable trame E and is adapted to be carried by wheels, so that the inachineean be driven along the rows of trees, vegetables or other crops to be dusted. The blower may be of any desired construction and has an outlet l which is connected with one end of the dust chamber C which is located under the hopper B. This hopper B is in the form of a box and has sloping sides 2 merg? ing into the side walls 3 of the dust chal-ir ber C. The hopper has a top section ft provided with a cover 5 which can be .locke1 closed in dust-tight position. At the bot-- tom of the hopper Q is a horizontal arcuate' or tuourhy-like screen il of very .tine mesh thin/)ugh *which the dust material is forced by a suitable device `for powdei'ing lumps, such device being in the form of a rotary brush F ylocated lwithin the bottom oi' the hopper and mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis. The brush atits ends has journals 7 which rotate in bearings S in the end walls oi' the hopper, This brush is made up of a plurality ot liongitudinally extendingI bristle- -arrying strips 9" radially adjustable in slots l0 of the brush body, and these biistle-carrying strips 9 are clamped in any desired position by means of' screws or equivalent fastenings 1l whichpassthrough slots l2 in the end disks 13 of the brush body and screw into the ends of the strip. 9. By this means the diameter of the brush can be maintained at the proper dimensi and thus compensate for the wearing away` ofthe bristles. .Thc periphery of the brush is concentric with the screen, so that the material is caused tobe forced through the screen by the bristless traveling across the same. and consequently lumps of the dust material are broken up and the proper tinen s oit the material secured. The material as it passes Zbrough the screen is picked up by the draft of air produced by the fau and is carried out through the end of the chain ber C opposite from the fan end and forced through the eduction pipe D to and through the sprayer (not shown) on the upper end of the pipe. The journal at one end of the bruslris provided with a word- -orA equivalentgear wheel 14 which meshes with'a worm or the equivalent 15 on a hori zontal shaft 1G journaled in a gear be.; i7 'carried by the hopper B. This shaft iti los ilu

connected by va sprocket and chain transf mission 18 with a secondary shaft 19 journaled on' one of the supporting brackets 20 for the hopper, and the shaft 19 is connected by a belt vand pulley transmission 21 with a fan shaft, which latter is driven by a motor (not'shown) or any suitable means.

To Yregulate the' amount of material that passes fi'om'the hopper to the dust chamber a valve or shutter is employed. This valve or shutte'r`22 is a troughshaped plate lying I immediately under and in contact with the I screen 6, so that the valve or shutter forms a' support therefor, and under the valve is a stationary grate 23 conforming to the shape of the valve and on which the latter slides. TheA valve and grate'. have parallel slots 24 andg'25 respectively which are obliquely disposed to the longitudinal axis of the valve and grate, which 'arrangement conduces to the` best regulation of the feed. By sliding the valve back or forth the effectiveareas of the dust material can be regulated, and thereby the control of the amount of material is rendered possible. One end of the valve is connected by a link' 26 with a crank 27, which latter is fastened to the lower end of avertical shaft 28 journaled at its lower end in the eduction pipe D and having its upper end steadied and supported by a bracket bearing 29 fastened to the upper part of the` hopper. On this shaft 28 .isan operating handle 30, and also. an indicating hand 3l which moveslover a dial or scale 32 carried by the bracket 29, so that the operator can accurately regulate the opening for the dust material to pass out of the hopper 'into the dust chamber. f

AFrom the foregoing yit will be obvious that by the use of the construction illustrated it is possible to obtain a positive forced feed and complete pulverization of the lumps and cakes of the dust material,

and furthermormit is possible to maintain a uniform liow of .material to the dust cham'- ber, and the quantity of material fed tothe dust chamber can be controlled ito a nicety. The regulator for determining the amount of material to be fed is so devised and located as to offer the greatest possible convenicnceto the operator.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood'by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and. while I have described the principle of operation, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is mereiy illustrativo and that such changes `for forcing material outlet openings -for the of the valve,

may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a hopper, a dust chamber under and communicating with the same, a fan connected with one end of the dust chamber for forcing air theretlnough, an eduction pipe connected with the opposite end of the chamber, a trough-like screen vsupported between tthe bottom of the hopper and top of the chamber, a valve slidable uner the screen, a grate supporting the valve and cooperating therewith for controlling the amount of material passing through the screen, and means operating in the hopper through the screen and breakingup the lumps and cakes of material.y

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a hopper, a dust chamber under and communicating with the same, a fan connected with one end of the dust vchamber for forcingair therethrough, an eduction pipe connected with the opposite end of the chamber a trough-like screen supported between the bottom of the hopper and top of the chamber, a valve slidable under the screen, a grate supporting the valve and coperating therewith for controlling the amount of material passing through the screen, and a rotary brush mounted in the hopper and operating in contact with the screen for forcing the material through the latter, said brush including bristle-carrying strips adjustable to maintain the brushes in contacting relation with the screen.

'3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination .bottom of the hopper, a brush movable in contactwith the screen for forcing material therethrough, a valve-under the screen and in the form of a plate having obliqucly disposed slots, a grate supporting the valve and being in'the form of a plate having obliquely disposed slots parallel with the slots means connected with the valve for moving the same to throw the slots thereof into and out of register with the slots of the grate, and means for forcing ay current cf air along the bottom of the grate for picking u the material passing through the screen an( valve and grate and conducting the picked-up material away.

n testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB H. VRIGIIT.

Witnesses:

HARRY A. SHAW, JOHN J.`HAMMoNn.

of a hopper, a. screen in the 

